A recent item in the Greater Phoenix SCORE (www.scorephoenx.org) newsletter, penned by Giselle Aguiar of AZ Social Media Wiz (www.AZSocialMediaWiz.com), is right on when it pleads with those hoping to make it big through social media to be patient. She tells readers when starting from scratch give the social media marketing idea to allow time to build a following because you cannot buy followers or likes on Facebook.

She suggests building a following organically by:

· Searching for and following them.

· Posting links to content that your target market wants to see and they should not all be about you.

· Respond by thanking them for liking you on Facebook. If on Twitter, thank them for following, mentioning you and retweeting your tweets.

· Engaging them with questions and answering theirs in a timely manner.

· Getting exposure by showing your expertise.

· Spend at least 90 minute each day on the networks themselves and not just automating content.

Develop a strategic plan that:

· Defines your gift giving target market.

· Looks at which networks you are going to use to drive the most traffic to your site. Do the research to discover what makes your gift giving network different from your regular market.

· Looks at strategies to make your gift ideas stand out from the crowd then write out the strategies for each market because each network drives differently.

· Decide how much to spend on advertising on the networks and know that the more you spend the more exposure you get for your target audience.

Now the tactical part comes into play by:

· Creating a spreadsheet to split time between social networks, focusing more time on sites that drive traffic to your site or those you see your gift giving targets using the most.

· Looking at insights and analytics daily and adjust your plan as needed. Share those posts where people are engaging in likes, sharing and commenting.

· Considering hiring a part time person to help manage social media campaigns.

· Using marketing automation from someone like SCORE partner Infusionsoft to manage campaigns.

Contact the Greater Phoenix SCORE office on line to schedule a mentoring session or call the office at 602-745-7260.

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Ted Vollmuth is a seasoned journalist and public relations specialist with experience as a radio news reporter and a public relations professional in both the public and private sector. He has experience in many different forms of public relations including writing and production of brochures, newsletters, magazine articles, copywriting, speech writing, videos, public relations strategy and more. Ted has a specific interest in working with small businesses, helping them achieve success through proven marketing and p.r. methods. Contact Ted at this address.